Budget 2026: RM230 Mln Allocation To Help AIM Produce 32,857 New Micro Entrepreneurs

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The RM230 million allocation announced for Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) in Budget 2026 is set to spur the growth of 32,857 new micro-entrepreneurs, said its managing director Datuk Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz.

He said the allocation would be utilised in a targeted manner to enhance women’s involvement in micro-entrepreneurship activities nationwide, reflecting the MADANI Government’s ongoing commitment to empowering B40 women economically.

“We are targeting to produce 32,857 new entrepreneurs through financing facilities ranging from RM10,000 to RM30,000, with a more flexible repayment period of up to three years.

“Of the total, 60 per cent will be channelled to rural women, while 40 per cent will go to urban poor women,” he said in a statement today.

According to Mohamed Shamir, the microfinance institution’s key focus is to ensure that financing assistance reaches the target group, helping B40 families generate income and improve their living standards.

He added that the allocation would raise total funding for next year to RM2.9 billion, compared with RM2.7 billion this year.

AIM currently has 320,000 Sahabat Usahawan Aktif nationwide, most of whom operate small businesses to generate household income, enabling them to meet basic needs, support their children’s schooling, and improve their families’ health over time.

In the meantime, Mohamed Shamir said AIM is working to help female entrepreneurs, almost 70 per cent of whom are still in the informal sector, transition to formal businesses, while also guiding its Sahabat Usahawan in obtaining halal certification.

“The announcement of the RM230 million allocation was highly anticipated by these small entrepreneurs, as it gave them the drive to take their businesses further.

“With an outstanding loan repayment rate of 99.97 per cent, this demonstrates that the group of women we are targeting is a reliable and resilient asset to the country’s economy,” he said.

Since its establishment in 1987, AIM has channelled more than RM37.68 billion in microfinancing and has successfully assisted over one million Malaysian women out of poverty.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling the 2026 Budget yesterday, announced an allocation of RM230 million for AIM to continue providing financing, raising the total funds available to RM2.9 billion to benefit over 300,000 entrepreneurs.

--BERNAMA